Renewal of Financial Aid: Financial Aid for Athletics is awarded on or before July 1 of each year. The Director of Financial Aid sends letters to all student-athletes who:

The letter regarding renewals specifies the amount, period of award, conditions and terms for the grant. Withdrawal from a team places the student in jeopardy of losing their financial aid.

Reduction or Non-renewal of Athletic Grant in Aid: If the decision is made to reduce or not to renew athletic aid for the coming year, the university will notify the student in writing and provide an opportunity for the student-athlete to have a hearing to appeal the action.

Appeal Process

The student should submit these materials to the financial aid office as soon as possible (within 15 days after the student receives notification that the grant is being canceled). The student may request an in-person hearing before the Scholarship Committee. The Scholarship Committee reviews the appeal, and their decision is final. There is no appeal beyond the Scholarship Committee hearing. The student receives a written response as soon as possible.

Upon receipt of the student's request for an appeal hearing, the Director of Financial Aid will notify the Department of Athletics. The Department of Athletics will provide a written account of the circumstances that resulted in the student's athletic grant being cancelled, any supporting documentation, including all relevant NCAA and Atlantic 10 Conference rules/regulations, and the names of any witnesses that the Department wishes to have testify on its behalf (it should be noted that the witnesses would be limited to those individuals who have a direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the student's athletic aid) The Department of Athletics must provide this statement to the Financial Aid Office five (5) working days prior to the hearing.

The Director of Financial Aid will request of the student a description of the circumstances which led to the cancellation of the athletic grant, reason why the student believes the decision of the Department of Athletics to cancel was unjust, any supporting documentation, and the names of witnesses that the student wishes to have testify on his/her behalf. (It should be noted that witnesses would be limited to those individuals who have direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the student's athletic aid). This information is to be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid five (5) days prior to the hearing.

The Director of Financial Aid will contact members of the Scholarship Committee to advise that the NCAA appeal hearing is necessary. The committee shall be comprised of the current Scholarship Committee, as well as the Faculty Athletic Representative.

The Director of Financial Aid will advise the student and the Department of Athletics of the date, time, and location of the appeal hearing, within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt of the request for an appeal; such notification will be provided to the student and the Department of Athletics no later than five (5) working days prior to the scheduled hearing date.

The NCAA has established a Special Assistance Fund (Bylaw 15.01.7.1) for student-athletes with special financial needs. Recipients will be identified by the Financial Aid Office and notified of their eligibility by the Associate Athletic Director (Kevin Quinn). Those student-athletes eligible to access the fund are PELL Grant recipients and any student-athletes receiving athletically related financial aid who have financial need as demonstrated through federal guidelines.

The Special Assistance Fund may be used for medical and dental expenses, vision therapy, hearing aids, off-campus psychological counseling, required course supplies and emergency travel expenses for parents and student-athletes. PELL recipients and student-athletes who are receiving athletically related financial aid and have demonstrated need may also use the fund for clothing and other essentials up to $500 per year.

Background: The Student-athlete Opportunity Fund (SAOF) is intended to provide direct benefits to student-athletes or their families as determined by conference offices. As a guiding principle, the fund shall be used to assist student-athletes in meeting financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics, enrollment in an academic curriculum or that recognize academic achievement. Accordingly, receipt of the Student-athlete Opportunity Fund monies shall not be included in determining the permissible amount of financial aid that a member institution may award to a student-athlete. Further, inasmuch as the fund is designed to provide direct benefits to student-athletes, the fund is not intended to be used to replace existing budget items.

Eligibility for the Fund: All student-athletes, including international, are eligible to receive SAOF benefits, regardless of whether they are grant in aid recipients, have demonstrated need or have either exhausted eligibility or no longer participate due to medical reasons. Additionally, student-athletes receiving monies from the Special Assistance Fund may also receive SAOF benefits.

Administration of the Fund: The Director of Compliance will oversee the administration of the fund. All monies received will be recorded on the Atlantic 10 spreadsheet and the annual report will be sent to the Atlantic 10 Office by May, at the conclusion of the academic year.
A student-athlete seeking funds will complete the SOAF Request Form. If approved, the Assistant Vice-President/Athletic Business Affairs will process a check from the SOAF Fund. Once the check is received, the student-athlete will confirm receipt by signing the Request Form.

Saint Joseph's University Guidelines for Use of the SOAF

The SOAF will be used to provide assistance in the following areas:

This is a guideline on how Saint Joseph's University will use the SAOF, however all requests will be given equal consideration, (consistent with the intended use of the SAOF).